[{"postImg":{"cover":{"webp":"https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/imgs/2022/7/826*532/101RPT1382568/xx.webp","original":"https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/imgs/2022/7/826*532/101RPT1382568/xx.jpg"},"largeCard":{"webp":"https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/imgs/2022/7/724*425/101RPT1382568/xx.webp","original":"https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/imgs/2022/7/724*425/101RPT1382568/xx.jpg"},"smallCard":{"webp":"https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/imgs/2022/7/333*138/101RPT1382568/xx.webp","original":"https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/imgs/2022/7/333*138/101RPT1382568/xx.jpg"},"metatags":{"whatsappUrl":"https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/imgs/2022/7/300*200/101RPT1382568/xx.jpg","facebookUrl":"https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/imgs/2022/7/1200*630/101RPT1382568/xx.jpg","twitterUrl":"https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/imgs/2022/7/4096*4096/101RPT1382568/xx.jpg"}},"_id":"62c028039038187d4171f8a3","postId":"101RPT1382568","postTitle":"Madhya Pradesh Panchayat Polls: Mehragaon women bet on consensus to run village","postDate":"2022-07-02T11:13:08+05:30","content":"

After being elected unanimously to the local council, ‘Padwoman’ Maya Vishwakarma and 11 novices aspire to bring development to the village through joint action.

Mehragaon, Madhya Pradesh: Rameti Bai could not believe her ears when her husband Shishupal came back from a meeting and told her she had been chosen for the position of panch (ward member) in Mehragaon gram panchayat. The 41-year-old had never ventured out of her house for a job or a social cause and could not contain her happiness. Like her, 10 others were overwhelmed by their selection to the post, done unanimously by the village elders to form an all-women local body.

Mehragaon panchayat, where the administration has formed 11 wards, always saw fierce arguments over the selection of candidates in the run-up to elections. Frustrated with this oft-repeated cycle of tension, the elders decided to give a chance to women to rule the panchayat this time, all unopposed. They chose Maya Vishwakarma, the most educated woman in the village, as the sarpanch (panchayat president), and gave her a free hand to pick ward members.

\"There has never been an uncontested election here until this day,\" says Anand Rajput, a village youth.

\"As soon as the elections are announced, an atmosphere of hostility builds up. This time, however, things are different. Not only did we empower women; we also ensured that the ones who passed muster had never contested an election before.\"

The three-tier local body polls are presently underway in Madhya Pradesh, with the first phase completed on June 25 and the next two scheduled for July 1 and July 8.

\n\n\n\nA call for change

Mehragaon comes under Saikheda block in Narsinghpur district. Agriculture is the mainstay of its economy. However, it's located nearly 100km from the administrative headquarters and is the last village that borders Hoshangabad district. This has proved to be a handicap, when it comes to pursuing projects for the development of the village. \n\n\n\n\"A male-dominated elected panchayat has not brought us any special benefit. That's why we decided to constitute the entire panchayat unopposed. But we had the task ahead to select a suitable sarpanch and panches,\" recalls Surendra Kahar, a village elder.

Subsequently, a mass meeting was organised, where Jaihind Rajput, a young farmer and social worker, proposed the idea of a mahila samras panchayat. The elders unanimously welcomed it. \n\n\n\n\"Then, after hours of brainstorming, we decided to elect Maya Vishwakarma as the sarpanch and encouraged her to pick a team of panches in such a way that all classes were represented,\" Kahar adds.\n\n\n\nThough six wards are reserved for women, they have not been utilised properly by the village women.

\"In most cases, the husband of the elected woman decides things on her behalf. Through the mahila samras panchayat, we addressed this issue, as well,\" points out Jaihind Rajput.

Asked whether anyone had opposed the new model, Ramesh Rajput, a senior social worker, says, \"Everyone agreed to the proposal. There was no dissent as the decision was made jointly at the village meeting.\"

A matter of pride, not prejudice

This is the first time in the history of Narsinghpur district that a mahila samras panchayat has been formed. The responsibility is huge, but the resources are scarce. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had announced an incentive of Rs 15 lakh to such 'pink panchayats', an amount that could come in handy for the new office-bearers.

\"I'm sure our panchayat will create a separate identity for itself,\" Maya Vishwakarma tells 101Reporters. \"From this small village, I went on to earn my PhD from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, and then became a scholar in California. I've been making persistent efforts to uplift tribal and rural women, in my position as the founder of the Sukarma Foundation. Taking note of all these achievements, the villagers have bestowed the sarpanch's role on me.\"

Incidentally, Vishwakarma is known as the ‘Padwoman’ of India for her relentless mission to eradicate myths surrounding menstruation among rural women and to provide them with sanitary products.

Stressing that she will do full justice to the duty entrusted upon her, she adds, \"I will bring all problems to the notice of the district headquarters and the state without fail.\"

The road to development

Though Mehragaon has a paved road and provisions for adequate water and power supply, the main problems here are education and health facilities.

\"The first priority should be to open a primary health centre. A high school is also required, besides measures to generate employment in the village. Small-scale industries should also be promoted here,\" says Anand Rajput, listing their basic needs.

Kirti Bai, a panch, says she's ready to take up such challenges.

\"Till date, I have only taken care of my family. Now, the village elders have given me the opportunity to serve our panchayat. I was quite inspired when the village head opined that women only needed to be given a chance to prove themselves,\" she tells 101Reporters. \"Neither the administrative officer came to the village to address our needs, nor did any MP or MLA help. Now that we have a chance, we'll work wholeheartedly to fulfil our responsibilities.\"

Kala Bai, another new panch, says she, along with her husband and daughter, was at the meeting where the decision to elect her was made.

\"First, the elders listed our past experiences and the fights that ensued. After long-winding discussions, they agreed to form an all-female panchayat. My husband was the first person to agree when my name was discussed for the role of a panch. My joy knew no bounds!\" the 30-year-old shares.

Indira Bai felt like all her suppressed dreams were coming true.

\"At school, I was a class monitor. I always wanted to do something different, but got tangled up in household chores after marriage. In a typical village setup, the daughter-in-law does not get any opportunity to expand her world beyond the four walls of the house. But when my father-in-law and husband congratulated me to become a panch, I was truly happy,\" the 33-year-old says.

However, Rameti Bai had to face her mother-in-law's opposition initially, before other family members schooled her about the importance of the post she'd be holding.

\"I was quite surprised when my mother-in-law quipped whether I'd take care of the children or work. But when the rest of the family explained things to her, she agreed,\" Rameti adds.

The other panches — Saraswati Bai (55), Uma Devi (37), Halki Bai, Shakun Bai (32), Mridulata (52), Ahilya Bai (62) and Pinky Bai — are also confident about taking on the responsibilities of their work, while maintaining the trust of villagers. They intend to get the gram sabha's consent before taking their proposed action plans to the administration. This way, they truly want to honour the idea of a samras panchayat.

Edited by Rekha Pulinnoli

","postTitleURL":"Madhya_Pradesh_Panchayat_Polls_Mehragaon_women_bet_on_consensus_to_run_village","mainCat":["politics"]},{"postImg":{"cover":{"webp":"https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/imgs/2021/10/826*532/101RPT1016960/4.webp","original":"https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/imgs/2021/10/826*532/101RPT1016960/4.jpg"},"largeCard":{"webp":"https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/imgs/2021/10/724*425/101RPT1016960/4.webp","original":"https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/imgs/2021/10/724*425/101RPT1016960/4.jpg"},"smallCard":{"webp":"https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/imgs/2021/10/333*138/101RPT1016960/4.webp","original":"https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/imgs/2021/10/333*138/101RPT1016960/4.jpg"},"metatags":{"whatsappUrl":"https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/imgs/2021/10/300*200/101RPT1016960/4.jpg","facebookUrl":"https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/imgs/2021/10/1200*630/101RPT1016960/4.jpg","twitterUrl":"https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/imgs/2021/10/4096*4096/101RPT1016960/4.jpg"}},"_id":"61603bb8341cd018a2d4b300","postId":"101RPT1016960","postTitle":" As pandemic closes schools in Tumda, one teacher paints lessons around the village","postDate":"2021-10-08T12:41:23+05:30","content":"

The primary teacher sought to bridge the widening gap between students and their education but bringing their syllabus home and keeping them engaged in learning.

\n\n

Narsinghpur: Rahul Kushwaha was in Class IV when\nthe COVID-19 pandemic struck in March 2020. His school — the Tumda Primary\nSchool in Madhya Pradesh’s Narsinghpur district — stopped classes. Kushwaha was\npromoted to Class V without an exam.

\n\n

“Several of my classmates and I lost interest in studies,” he said, adding, “Our parents would ask us to study\nevery day. But with no teacher, how could we study on our own? There are some\nsubjects for which we need a teacher.”

\n\n

Kushwaha was told that online\nclasses would be conducted by the school. “But, we do not have good phones or\ninternet at home,” he rued.

\n\n

Students like Kushwaha had been drifting\naway from education, until a teacher\nfrom Tumda Primary School teacher, Halkeveer stepped in to mitigate this gap.

\n\n

Armed with a brush and paint, he illustrated\nthe syllabus from the textbooks all over the village, including the walls of his\nstudents’ houses.

\n\n

A stroke of education

\n\n

For the younger children, he\npainted alphabets and numbers. For the senior ones, he spent days together illustrating\nthe map of India along with the details of the states, painting information on\nfreedom fighters and drawing mathematical diagrams.

$\"\"$

\n\n

Numerals painted on stairs (Picture courtesy of Pankaj Gupta)

\n\n

The effort was a necessity for\nHalkeveer as his proposition to visit the students’ homes to teach were stalled\nby the parents. They further put their foot down when he proposed that children\ngather at one place so that he could get them up to speed with the syllabus.

\n\n

“In such a situation, I brought\neducation to their homes,” he said. “Whether it is the courtyard outside the\nhouse or the walls of the village, everywhere I have tried to give them ample\nopportunities to read and learn.”

\n\n

Halkeveer took the symbolic\napproach. Besides painting the syllabus on the walls, he also took the pots,\npans and other objects that were lying around idly in the surroundings and\ninscribed alphabets and other matter onto them.

\n\n

“We turned things around the house into\nthe medium of education – whether it is a place to tie a goat or a cow or a\nswing,” he said.

\n\n

He used connotations — on certain\nobjects, he wrote what the objects meant and what their significance was so\nthat the children could acquire knowledge on the go.

\n\n

This omnipresent education, he\nclaimed, retained the interest of children. “They can study while they play.\nAnd with this effort, I have seen children being drawn towards education again.\nI have seen them teach their classmates or at least gently coax them to take up\nstudies again,” he said.

\n\n

And, it has brought a difference to\nthe children’s lives who now learn as they play.

\n\n

Studies on the go

\n\n

Rahul Kushwaha, who studies in\nClass V at the Tumda Primary School, is ecstatic with his “guruji”, Halkeveer’s\neffort. “He wrote English and Hindi letters, explained triangles and\nquadrilaterals and even mathematical sums. Now, we study as we play. One day in\na week, we students gather at one person’s house and finish our syllabus. We\nare happy and so are our parents,” he said.\n\n

\n\n

Kushwaha’s grandmother, Khusiya Devi Kushwaha, said she was impressed with\nHalkeveer’s effort as he brought education to the students with limited\nresources.

$\"\"$

Lessons have been painted onto any available surface in order to keep the children interested and engaged (Pictures courtesy of Pankaj Gupta)

“The children keep reading as they play. Guruji’s (Halkeveer’s) efforts\nhave instilled them with a new passion, who are now eager to learn,” he said.

\n\n

Another student’s parent, Jeevan\nLal Patel lauded Halkeveer for toiling day night with his paint and brush.\nPatel said that Halkeveer’s “experiment” turned homes into school.

\n\n

“And, that has been a boon,” he\nsaid, adding, “We were unable to send our children to school due to the\ncoronavirus pandemic. Furthermore, we did not have android phones on which our\nchildren could study. Halkeveer changed this picture. Our children are now\nbeing groomed for the future.”

\n\n

Rahul Khemaria, who once studied at\nTumda Primary School, also believes that Halkeveer’s “innovative efforts” will\nstrengthen students’ foundation on which “they can build their future”.

\n\n

“If Halkeveer’s line of thought is\nfollowed by at least by one teacher from every village, India could see a new\nrevolution,” he said. “In this era, we cannot simply era on textbook knowledge.\nWe need symbolic education — students must understand what they are learning\nand be able to implement it in their course of life.”

\n\n

Lok Sabha member of parliament Uday\nPratap Singh from Hoshangabad constituency has also noticed Halkeveer’s effort.\nHe, too, believes that every teacher from the country can take a cue from his\npassion and innovation.

\n\n

“He has adapted school to homes.\nHalkeveer’s positive thinking is clearly visible in his effort — it has left a unique impression on the\nwhole village,” he said, adding, “Optimistic thoughts can give a new direction\nto the society. It can do wonders when it is turned into creation.”

\n\n\n\n\n\n

","postTitleURL":"As_pandemic_closes_schools_in_Tumda_one_teacher_paints_lessons_around_the_village","mainCat":["education"]},{"postImg":{"cover":{"webp":"https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/imgs/2021/2/826*532/101RPT832160/1612601142900_1612601139184_1612601138998_1612601138799_1612601138600_1612601137603_picture_for_representation_purposes_only._credit:_pixabay.webp","original":"https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/imgs/2021/2/826*532/101RPT832160/1612601142900_1612601139184_1612601138998_1612601138799_1612601138600_1612601137603_picture_for_representation_purposes_only._credit:_pixabay.jpg"},"largeCard":{"webp":"https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/imgs/2021/2/724*425/101RPT832160/1612601142900_1612601139184_1612601138998_1612601138799_1612601138600_1612601137603_picture_for_representation_purposes_only._credit:_pixabay.webp","original":"https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/imgs/2021/2/724*425/101RPT832160/1612601142900_1612601139184_1612601138998_1612601138799_1612601138600_1612601137603_picture_for_representation_purposes_only._credit:_pixabay.jpg"},"smallCard":{"webp":"https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/imgs/2021/2/333*138/101RPT832160/1612601142900_1612601139184_1612601138998_1612601138799_1612601138600_1612601137603_picture_for_representation_purposes_only._credit:_pixabay.webp","original":"https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/imgs/2021/2/333*138/101RPT832160/1612601142900_1612601139184_1612601138998_1612601138799_1612601138600_1612601137603_picture_for_representation_purposes_only._credit:_pixabay.jpg"},"metatags":{"whatsappUrl":"https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/imgs/2021/2/300*200/101RPT832160/1612601142900_1612601139184_1612601138998_1612601138799_1612601138600_1612601137603_picture_for_representation_purposes_only._credit:_pixabay.jpg","facebookUrl":"https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/imgs/2021/2/1200*630/101RPT832160/1612601142900_1612601139184_1612601138998_1612601138799_1612601138600_1612601137603_picture_for_representation_purposes_only._credit:_pixabay.jpg","twitterUrl":"https://assets.ramen.101reporters.com/imgs/2021/2/4096*4096/101RPT832160/1612601142900_1612601139184_1612601138998_1612601138799_1612601138600_1612601137603_picture_for_representation_purposes_only._credit:_pixabay.jpg"}},"_id":"601e57da84ab0b593a0181e5","postId":"101RPT832160","postTitle":"Residents of MP tribal village cut road through mountain after forest dept rejects proposal","postDate":"2021-02-05T13:00:00+05:30","content":"

\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n

\nBinaiki,\nMadhya Pradesh: Up\nuntil recently, the tribal village of Binaiki in Madhya Pradesh's\nNarsinghpur district had no road connectivity. Going to a hospital\nmeant trekking up a mountain for 12 kilometres one way. No longer.

\nBinaiki\nnow has a kutcha (unpaved)\nroad, which a group of youngsters and elderly from

the village have\nbuilt by cutting through the mountain with nothing but their pickaxes

and spades. They have carved a five-kilometre path since last October\nwhile the work on the remaining 30 per cent is on. Once complete, the\npath will reduce their commute to the tehsil headquarters\nof Kareli from six hours to two.

\nThe\nvillagers took the matter into their own hands after the local\nadministration failed to meet their repetitive demands for road\nconnectivity, Bhagchand Thakur, member of the Nayakheda panchayat\nunder which the village of Binaiki falls, informs 101Reporters.

\nQuite\nlike the 'Mountain Man' aka late Dashrath Manjhi from Bihar,\nThakur, 43, has been toiling every morning to chip the rocks. He is\njoined by 20-25 other youngsters from the village, including women,\nin this initiative.

The villagers, mostly youth, have been carving the path since last October. Credit: Pankaj Gupta
\n

\n'Deprived\nof development, marriage proposals'

\nInhabited\nby 150 families, Binaiki is locked by the Satpura mountain range on\nall sides. The geographical isolation has denied them mainstream\ndevelopment, villagers allege, citing they have to cross the mountain\njust to sell their crops or get basic official work done.

\nWhen\nresidents fall sick, they have to be carried across the mountain on a\ncot to reach the nearest hospital in Kareli because no vehicles can\nply. And when the monsoon arrives, they are unofficially locked up in\nthe village because the mountains become slippery and dangerous to\ntrek past. \"We have to stock up groceries to tide over the rainy\nseason,\" Bhagchand shares in Hindi.

\nThe\ninaccessibility affects children and youth as much. That's because\nthe village only has a primary school up to class five. For those\nlooking to study further have to walk up the mountain for six\nkilometres daily to get to the higher secondary school in Nayakheda.

\nSanju\nSingh is one of those youth from Binaiki who could not study past\nclass five and has taken up odd jobs to earn daily wages. As for his\npeers, they make a living by selling forest produce like herbs and\nbamboo.

\nThe\nabsence of roads has also hit their marriage prospects. Resident\nLalit Cole shares that women from the neighbouring areas reject their\nproposals as the village is cut off from the world.

The village is lagging behind in development because it is isolated. Credit: Pankaj Gupta

\nProtected\narea, thus bid rejected: Official

\n101Reporters has\nlearnt that the state tribal department had proposed the idea of\nbuilding a road to Binaiki to the forest department in 2015 but the\nlatter had turned it down.

\nThakur\nNiranjan Singh, Deputy Ranger, Kareli Forest Department, explains\nwhy. Binaiki is a wildlife protected area under the Satpura mountain\nrange, which prohibits the forest department from approving such\nprojects. Only the environment ministry can give a go-ahead in such\ncases, he informs.

\nManoj\nThakur, Additional Collector of Narsinghpur, says there is no\nshortage of resources or funds to execute the project but since the\nvillage comes under the jurisdiction of the forest department, the\ndecision lies with them.

\nIt\nwas not just the forest department but also a section of villagers\nfrom Binaiki who were opposed to the project. They were concerned\nthat the road would pass through their houses and displace them,\nManoj explains.

\nThis kutcha road,\nhowever, hasn't forced anyone to move, Bhagchand claims, adding that\nonly a few invasive shrub trees have been cut down.

*Lead picture used for representational purpose only. Credit: Pixabay
\n
\n\n

\n\n

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Narsinghpur, Madhya Pradesh: In Narsinghpur district of Madhya Pradesh, the lockdown imposed because of COVID-19 has affected the farmers so much that many have had to sell their belongings to survive.

According to a study, about 85% of Indian farm households are small and marginal farmers. Another study mentioned that disruptions caused by the lockdown have resulted in a considerable additional financial burden on farmers because of higher costs, increased debt, inability to sell the produce at a fair price and crop losses.

Khoi Lal Kushwaha, a farmer from Lathgaon, stated that he had planted tomato, green chilli and coriander in his two acres of land. He mentioned that the crops were ready for harvest in April, but because of the absence of labourers, he wasn’t able to harvest the crop. He wasn’t able to sell any of his produce as the markets were closed and he had to sustain a loss of Rs 2 lakh.

A photo of Khovi Lal Kushwaha. Credits: Pankaj Gupta

For a small farmer, that’s a huge amount. He had borrowed money from his relatives, but after the crop failed, he was forced to sell his cattle for one-fourth of their price just to have enough food.

Tarachand Patel, a farmer of Dobhi village, owns four acres of land. He stated that he planted vegetables like tomato and okra in February, but during the harvest season (April 15 onwards), the mandis were closed and he wasn’t able to sell his produce. He said his entire produce got spoiled and he had to incur a loss of Rs 3 lakh and is now looking for a job incity at Narsinghpur.

Nilambar Singh, another farmer from Mahguva village, cultivates about three acres of land with this brothers. After his crop failed this summer, he was forced to pawn off his wife’s jewellery so that the seven members in his family have enough to eat, he added. Now he works as a labourer in another field to earn a living.

Rishi Raj Patel, president of the National Farmers' Workers Federation, who is also a farmer from Narsinghpur, told 101Reporters that they had demanded compensation from the government but the government ignored them.

Rishi Raj Patel at his farm. Credits: Pankaj Gupta

Rishi mentioned that the situation of farmers in Narsinghpur is bad and that the farmers are burdened under debt. Especially the condition of the small farmers whose own less than five acres of land is extremely bad, he added.

The farmers are now so helpless that despite having their own land, they are forced to live on the wages from others, he commented.

(The author is Narsinghpur-based freelance journalist and a member of 101Reporters.com, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters. This article is a part of a series on Covid's impact on India's marginal farmers. The series has been funded by Internews Europe.)

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In a country which ails with water scarcity all year, farmers in villages of Narsinghpur district in Madhya Pradesh came up with ingenious solutions for rainwater harvesting to address the issue.

While water shortage has been the hallmark of Salichauka village, local farmer Manoj Rai devised a solution not only to tackle the water deficiency but found a way to manage the excess water from rain and use it to recharge the water source. To do this, Rai used waste material to channel the water to borewells and dry wells using a pipeline network.

Rai said the village was infamous for facing water scarcity. He explained that the Third World War would be fought over water and several cities like Cape Town and Shimla are already on the verge of a ‘Day-Zero’ situation.

He added that if every farmer did their bit towards redirecting excess water to recharge the groundwater level, then the future generations will also have water. He said that if we try, everyone can come up with their own techniques for water harvesting without spending extra money.

After Rai’s solution came to the limelight, other farmers also started adopting it and the water level has reportedly risen, claim the villagers. They say that this will also help them during the summers.

A resident of the village Kaluram Patel said he adopted the technique after he saw several other villagers using it. He said they have witnessed a rise in water level and the tube wells now have water. He said this would also help him grow multiple crops in a year.

Similarly, in the rocky terrains of Bilguwa village, it was becoming increasingly difficult for the farmers to procure water for their crops when Monu Pathak, a local farmer, devised a solution to conserve water.

Pathak said he constructed a model to recharge the groundwater level. He pointed out that in a time when half of the country is facing water shortage and the rest facing floods, it is extremely important to look for methods to save water. He also urged the residents of the village to employ such methods in their houses or farms.

Sushil Kumar, a resident of Bilguwa, said the technique employed by Pathak is easy to operate. He said if every farmer were to utilise rainwater harvesting techniques, the water level would witness a significant rise and would solve the water crisis in the village.

Agricultural scientists claimed that the crops in the region were getting affected by the decline in groundwater level and commended the efforts by the farmers to address the water crisis.

Rajesh Tripathi, Deputy Director of the district agriculture department, pointed out the irregular pattern of rains that the region has witnessed. He said that if water is being continuously pumped using tube wells or sprinkler pump, the water sources are going to keep depleting. He said if we can find a way for the rainwater to replenish the water table directly, farmers would benefit from it. While commending the efforts taken by farmers of Bilguwa and Salichauka, he added that efforts are being taken to educate the farmers on the importance of adopting such techniques to recharge any water source in their vicinity.

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Jhamar, Madhya Pradesh: While Madhya Pradesh is struggling with the menace of rumour-mongering, residents of Jhamar village in the state have come up with a unique solution to tackle it: Aadhaar cards.

Visitors to this village, situated in Narsinghpur district, have to produce a form of identity proof, like Aadhaar card, in order to gain entry. Only after the identity of the person is verified, are they allowed entry into the village. As the rumours of child-lifters started circulating, the Kotwar (village worker) with the help of a few villagers came up with this solution.

Kotwar Sewakaram Chadar visited the houses in the area and urged the inhabitants to be alert about the rumours and advised them against sharing unverified posts on social media. He said the exercise is being carried out to make the residents more aware and observant. He stated that while it helps keep a check on the rumours, it also helps them track down the accused and inform the police.

Residents of the village said that the exercise of verifying a stranger’s identity has given them the much needed peace of mind.

Jitendra Lodhi, a resident, said this rule was implemented in the village after rumours of child-lifters started circulating on social media. He added that when the idea was proposed by Sewakaram, the inhabitants unanimously agreed to implement the rule.

Another resident Amit Singh said that while they had to prevent potential miscreants from entering the village, they also had to make sure that relatives and friends of the inhabitants are allowed. This is when they came up with the idea of using documents of identity proof to let visitors into the village.

Even the district administration has praised the awareness and ingenuity of the inhabitants to tackle the issue. They are also planning to launch a campaign and implement it in other villages of the district.

District magistrate Manoj Thakur commended the arrangement where the Kotwar of the village has the information of outsiders. He said when an outsider, who is visiting their relatives in the village, doesn’t have their identity proof, there is a mechanism to get them verified with the help of their relatives in the village.

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While we live in a society that believes in “Padhega India tabhi toh badhega India (India will develop only when India is educated),” the state of affairs of the higher secondary school in a tribal-dominated village in Madhya Pradesh shows a different picture.

Dependent on ‘self-study’, students of Mungwani Higher Secondary School in Narsinghpur district lament the lack of teachers in the school. For over a year, only two teachers are employed at the school. Over 500 students from standard nine to twelve protested at district headquarters claiming that teachers were sent to other schools in the district while their official posting was at Mungwani.

A student of standard 10 Khushi Noria informed that only the teachers for Hindi and Science were available to teach in the school, but often they are busy with other work and aren’t able to teach the students.

Rajeshwari Thakur, a student of class 12, said they were forced to self-study since there are only two teachers in the school. She added that since they have to study subjects other than Hindi and Science on their own, there is a high possibility that they might not be able to secure passing marks for their board examinations.

Even the parents of the students allege that while the administration is making big claims of developing tribal-dominated areas, they don’t care about the future of students.

Kanchhedi Lal Thakur, Rajeshwari’s father, said that while four teachers were posted to the school, they were not sent and owing to this they can’t even hire temporary teachers.

While the school had seven teachers for 673 students, five out of those seven were appointed to other schools in the district. Teachers at Mungwani Higher Secondary School have been trying to teach other subjects as well but without making any real headway.

Radha Gupta, the Science teacher, said they have been trying to teach other subjects as well, but only qualified teachers can teach subjects like Mathematics and English. She added that the absence of teachers has resulted in the students preparing for these subjects by themselves.

Owing to protests by the students and media reports, the district administration has promised to make amends to improve the situation.

District collector Deepak Saxena said he has ordered the district education officer to make sure that an appropriate number of teachers are appointed to the school.

Arun Kumar Ingle, district education officer, said they were taking stock of the situation and will be making arrangements to allot teachers to the school.

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Narsinghpur, Madhya Pradesh: When thinking of government schools in India, the mind usually comes up with images of dilapidated classrooms in dark buildings, negligent teachers and carefree students. However, a government school in Madhya Pradesh is challenging all these notions. Situated in Narsinghpur district of Madhya Pradesh, the Khamariya government school has facilities that even most private schools in the country dream of and such is the influence of the school that no private school has opened or is functioning in the surrounding 15 villages.

Established in 2012, the school is equipped with closed-circuit cameras for security, and classrooms with smart class technology, LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) TVs, skill development classes and vocational training for the students making it the first digitally-enabled government school in Madhya Pradesh. To overcome the irregular power supply, the school also has power backup so that these facilities are not affected by regular power cuts. The man behind the vision, Narayan Gupta, not only wanted to improve the situation of academics, but he also wanted the students to have all-round development. Students are not only taught for exams but are also offers career-oriented classes in the field of computers, health and engineering.

Not only this, but they also have gym classes for the physical development of the students. Currently, with a strength of 3,117 students, the school is one of the most sought after schools in the region.

The headmaster of the school Narayan Gupta, who had been a student of the school, highlighted that the school has gone from being a mud-tiled hut to a building with public participation. He said the initiative started in 2012 when they collected over Rs 1.5 lakh. He asserted that the support of the residents have enabled the development of the school, even with regards to physical labour. Whether it’s the installation of tiles or the construction of classrooms, public support has always been crucial, he stated.

He added that in 2013 CCTV cameras were installed in the entire school campus, then came the sound systems, the projectors and the LED TVs. He said that every year they make it a mission to improve one facility in the school and plan on how to execute it. He added that a National Cadet Corps unit was started in recent years, and nine students have already decided to join the military forces.

Nazmi Khan, a teacher imparting medical education at the school, emphasised on the importance of both theory and practical classes to impart knowledge. With regards to healthcare classes, the students are taught how to deal with emergencies and then we show them how the knowledge gained from books is used in hospitals so that they have a better understanding of the topic.

A vocational courses teacher Ankit Jaiswal informed that vocational training is provided to students from class nine to twelve so that students can earn a living when they grow up. Most classes have theory and practical examinations, he added.

School with a difference

Not only the children, but even the environment is also taken care of. There is greenery around the school with a special focus on cleanliness. The vision of the school focuses on all-round development, so the students are taught to improve their surroundings as well. A lot of the classes provide them with enough training for them to get a basic job at the village level.

A student of class 11 Hemlata Patel stated that the teachers teach them everything from cleanliness and hygiene to primary medical courses and sports with the help of smart class technology. She added that the computerised health centre has helped a lot of students develop skills in that area and claimed that might prove to be useful later.

Hemlata’s father Ramsevak Patel stated that conducting smart classes in a government school in a small village to impart training based on vocational education is unprecedented. He added that the students of the school are not only leaving the students from urban areas behind.

Even the officials with the district education department speak highly of the institute and believe that the facilities in the school is helping combat illiteracy in the region and increase student participation.

Arun Ingale, district education officer (Narsinghpur), stated that the school itself is unique because it is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment by funds collected from the residents. The district has the highest recorded number of rural schools, the biggest reason being that this school is completely digital and it has emerged as a model school in the state, he commented.

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